Eyes of Tomorrow
by SnowbellaAndFriends
Summary: AU/AR. They say that destiny can grab you up at any time, and that fate doesn't always play a good hand to good people. This is mostly true, but for one orphaned boy and one forgotten legend, destiny is only the beginning.
1. PROLOGUE

**Disclaimer & Warning:** This story is purely fan-made; I will not and never will own SRMTHFG! or any of it's canon characters, I'm only using them here for my own sick amusement. Be warned, this story is rated T/M for a reason. I am very big on details, and some things may be graphic in this story - gore, death, blood, etc. Triggering material may also be present in some chapters. If this offends you, please turn away now. Constructive criticism is welcome, so please feel free to do so: I am constantly learning how to be a better writer and anything to help would be greatly appreciated.

 **Shout Out:** Thank you to all my beta readers, you know who you are. Without you, I'd never have been able to get this done!

* * *

 **PROLOGUE**

 **'BACK TO THE BEGINNING'**

"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever." - _Keri Russell_

* * *

 **[*]** Shuggazoom City.

A wondrous, successful city that stood proudly for all to see even from the height of space, and the only structure to call its namesake world home. Settled upon a sparkling lake of fathomless depths, this one little city was rich in both science and mystery. For everything that was known, there was so much more that was unknown. Such as why the only place that was safe and fertile was the place the city stood upon, whereas the expanse beyond the gilded bridge at the City's entrance was a wasteland unsuited for habitation. Not even the oldest history books in the City could explain what had caused the massive devastation that encompassed over eighty percent of the planet's surface to create the Zone of Wasted Years, and those who might've witnessed the event were long since dead.

But the people who called Shuggazoom City home seemed to have little regard for the past these days. Progress was the art of moving forward, and progress was something Shuggazoom was well known for. The simple city on the simple planet was always bustling with life. The last remains of what might have been natural wildlife were long since domesticated and tamed, while plants both native and foreign grew from small parks and gardens under the watchful eye of their caretakers. Whatever couldn't be found on planet or from the odd off world visitors was instead created. Flying cars, sterling high rise buildings, and even designer pets with artificial intelligence strong enough to rival the real things. Everything in Shuggazoom City was clean and precise, a testament to how far it had come throughout the ages.

True, there were no active space ports for interstellar trading, no communications hubs for far off travelers to contact, which in turn meant that virtually no new technology or intelligence was capable of arriving in mass. In the same vein though, criminal activity was practically a nonexistent and unheard of concept. With no advantageous riches, special technologies or unique resources to attract the lowlifes of the galaxy, the people of Shuggazoom were left in relative peace. So much that police or any form of law enforcement was practically unnecessary. Once in a while the random space pirate or off-world vandal would show their face and cause a ruckus, but they soon moved off in search of better pickings.

Or at least that's what the Mayor of Shuggazoom City liked to repeat over and over during his acceptance speeches. Every year after the elections it was the same words from the year before, but the people just ate it up anyway.

And why shouldn't they think that? Despite a few faults, the population of Shuggazoom had everything it could ever want right there in the City.

The ugly truth was that for all its success and leaps, Shuggazoom City was a far cry from perfect. And it certainly was not the utopia that the Mayor and City Officials painted it out to be. Beyond the clean streets and smiling faces lay the fractures that were so desperately ignored in favor for blissful ignorance. There was no one in power who really cared to explore these faults or rectify them either. The general consensus and rule of thumb was that if it didn't concern you, then it wasn't anything to concern yourself with. Life was comfortable and rosy and anything that jarred this little niche they'd settled into was seen as a catastrophe; a closed minded and far outdated concept for a planet that claimed to be so advanced.

This is where our story begins...

 **[=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=]**

Another day survived.

 _ **"GET HIM!"**_

Or maybe he was speaking too soon.

The streets and buildings of Shuggazoom City whirled past in a blur of color and concrete. Shocked exclamations and shouts of pedestrians were like white noise in his ears, the primal urge of flight-or-fight numbing him to everything but the roar of adrenaline beating against his eardrums and the angry voices behind him. His heart hammered against his rib cage so hard it made him wonder if his physics teacher was lying and it could in fact burst through his chest. Oxygen burned his throat with every quick breath he took, and he would swear up and down that bucket loads of sweat were flying off his hair, face and hands.

And to think, this day had started out with such promise. All he wanted to do was help someone out! But then again, what was that saying about good deeds and punishment?

These were the thoughts going through the mind of eleven year old Chiro Nieli on this sunny summer day in Shuggazoom City. It was taking everything in him to keep his sky blue eyes staring straight ahead, afraid that if he even so much as glanced back to check where his pursuers were he'd be caught. He didn't know where he was running at this point, just so long as it was away from the danger breathing down his neck.

School had been going well enough; he'd gotten through his classes relatively unscathed and after the final bell had rung, he had been heading back to his little one room apartment on the other side of the City. Perhaps he should've just continued on like that, but then he'd heard the sound of crying and had gone to investigate. He was met with a very familiar sight: B.T and Glenny, local school bullies, picking on a little boy who had been unfortunate enough to cross their path. Chiro knew from terrible experience that automatically made the boy their next target. In a moment of bravado, he'd taken it upon himself to stop the injustice of it all.

In hindsight, perhaps throwing a rock at Glenny's back had not been the best course of action. Because now **_he_** was the target of their ire.

The raven-haired teen did have one thing going for him. Even with the weight of his stark white backpack slowing him he was still faster than both the bullies combined. And he was making good use of that advantage now. But this was only a temporary solution to the problem at hand; he couldn't keep running forever no matter how much he wanted to. Turning around and fighting was out of the question too. B.T and Glenny were older, bigger and stronger than he was, as they had loved to exploit whenever he found himself backed up against a wall. And asking for help from someone else was not the best idea either, as in the end B.T and Glenny would eventually catch up alone again some other day and the punishment for tattling would be even worse.

Not to mention what the consequences of this little incident could be if certain people got wind of it...

The stress of the dead run caught up to him, prompting Chiro to pause at the corner of a building. The schoolboy's sweaty palm rested against the cool stone of the wall, using it as a crutch to keep him upright as his lungs worked hard to replace lost oxygen. His mouth and throat felt dry and scratchy, producing a few hacking coughs from his chest. "Where is he?! Which way did that punk go?! Find him Glenny!" the angry voice of B.T had him finally giving into the previous urge and glancing over his shoulder in fright. He caught only a flash of the taller bully's bright ginger hair before he was running again. Adrenaline was the only thing that was keeping him going at this point, but soon that wouldn't be enough to keep the fatigue at bay. He had to find a place to hide before he collapsed in the open street.

The number of people he had to dodge began to dwindle the further he ran. A blessing in that it made the pathway easier for him to navigate, but also a curse working against him. Without obstacles Chiro was now left wide open to B.T and Glenny's sights. This time he didn't need to look behind him because he could hear the clatter of their shoes against the sidewalk, growing louder and louder as they gained on him. His salvation appeared in the form of a dark alleyway coming up out of the corner of his eye, and he dove straight for it. While the streets of Shuggazoom City were known to be straight and polished, the alleyways were instead a labyrinth that was all connected in someway, not unlike a maze. Since he was six years old mazes of any kind had been one of Chiro's favorite things; get in and get out. And in the meantime loose the bullies on your tail.

A left turn there, a quick right turn, left again, then dive left once more. For good measure, he knocked down a full trash can as he passed by to add another obstacle for his pursuers. Good idea it turned out, because he heard Glenny's very loud exclamation of disgust seconds after he turned the next right corner. Here, unable to run any farther, he stopped and slammed his side against the nearest wall, closed his eyes and prayed to any deity above listening that they hadn't notice which direction he'd taken. An angry growl from B.T echoed off the alley walls into his ears; he could practically see the redhead's vicious scowl and aggressive posture in his mind's eye.

"Aw, I'm never gonna get this gunk off of me!" that was Glenny, his moans of disgust joining B.T's snarling. "Mom's gonna be so mad! Ugh, first the rock now this?! Where did that little punk get to?! He's gonna pay for this!"

"If I knew where the twerp ran off I'd not be standing here!" came B.T's disembodied nasally reply. "If you hadn't tripped me when you fell into that trash we'd have him by now!"

"Well, how was I suppose to know he was gonna knock it over?!"

"Shut up Glenny, we're not gonna catch him this way! ...C'mon, I think he went this way! Don't worry we'll find him!"

Chiro held his breath, tensing up just encase he had to bolt again, but the sound of two sets of feet rushing off in the opposite direction of him signaled that they'd chosen the wrong path. When he could no longer hear them nearby, he allowed the relief to hit him and felt his knees give out. Leaning heavily against the wall for support, the eleven year old slowly slid to the ground, sighing shakily as he let himself relax on his knees. That had been _way_ too close for comfort. If he hadn't had the quick thinking to knock over that trash can he didn't want to think about what could've happened. A sort of hysterical laugh bubbled from his mouth, one hand coming up from his lap to cover his eyes as his breathing evened out slowly. At least it all ended well. That boy back at the schoolyard was safe and now so was he.

And B.T and Glenny would likely be lost in the maze that was Shuggazoom's alleys for the next few hours too. Meaning he didn't have to deal with them for a while. Always a bonus.

A few minutes of silence and peace passed by while Chrio focused on calming down. When the rush of adrenaline finally started to subside, he shakily grabbed at the wall and pushed himself to his feet, brushing his red sweater vest off before glancing up at the sky above. Still clear and bright blue, meaning he had plenty of time to find a way out of this labyrinth and be back in his apartment before nightfall. All he had to worry himself with was possibly running into B.T or Glenny during his search. But with plenty of hiding places available and his experience using these alleys at his side, he had the upper hand here. Simple enough!

...Now which way did he come from?

 **[=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=]**

' _Alright_ ,' was Chiro's somewhat exasperated thoughts as he turned down another pathway to yet another dead end. ' _Maybe this won't be so simple._ '

Chiro wasn't sure how long he'd been wandering the alleyways now, only that almost every other corner he turned led to a dead end or continued into yet more pathways to choose from. The sky was beginning to change from its pristine clear blue, taking on a vivid shade of pink that signaled the approach of dusk. Chiro still had time to spare before nightfall, but if he didn't hurry and find a way out that wouldn't be true for much longer. A groan of frustration hissed passed his teeth: he was tired, he was sweaty, and all he wanted was a warm shower before finishing off his homework, catching the late night airing of his favorite TV show and then going to bed. But it would seem whatever deity that had saved him from B.T and Glenny had now decided to play with him.

Turning around to retrace his steps for the umpteenth time, Chiro decided he didn't particularly like this game. The only good thing out of this situation was that he hadn't run into said bullies a second time.

The boy only paused at the entrance to the dead end to pick up a broken piece of concrete from the ground and use it to carve a small 'x' into the side of the wall. This place was confusing enough, and by now he knew he was far away from the alleys he was familiar with. He'd been doing this for probably the last hour or so, marking the dead ends and wrong ways as he came upon them. This way he knew where not to go when he had to retrace his steps again. The concrete in his hand was left to clatter to the ground after making the mark and Chiro was off again. So far he'd tried the left, lower and upper pathways at the last crossing, so that just left the right one to try.

As he wandered down the next passage, he hummed a small tune to himself, staring up at the filthy and dusty walls surrounding him with a contemplative look. For all that was perfect and kept up in Shuggazoom City, these dark and damp places were pretty much left to rot. Trash was piled up in forgotten cans and careless piles, rats scurried here and there, and bugs were plentiful. Only Chiro's experience in such places kept him from completely grossing out. Just think of something else to help tune out the smell and don't look the rats in the eyes and everything was fine. The trash and rotting food could be easily cleaned off of his shoes and pants with a little soap and water.

He wondered just how much soap and water, if any, could clean these alleyways though. Or if anything could at that. In many ways these alleys were a far too perfect representation of how life in Shuggazoom City really was. Sleek and colorful on the outside, but search a little deeper and the problems underneath were revealed. Rot and dirt and dust and everything bad. So was life he supposed, though he wondered if other places on other planets were just the same as this City, or if they were any better or any worse.

For everything wrong it had buried and hidden away, Chiro truly did and always would love this City; its colors, its people, its way of life. Everything he'd known since his earliest days existed was right here on this little patch of planet... but sometimes, like now, he wondered what lay beyond the borders and atmosphere of this one little City. As if in response to his unspoken thoughts, a few faint sparkles began to twinkle in the darkening skies. The first stars of the evening. Chiro's feet slowed to a stop, moving his eyes from the walls and upward to obverse the distant faded lights that weren't patient enough to wait for dark.

It was this one thought that set Chiro apart from the rest of the population, this one rogue thought that had taken root when he was seven years old and refused to let go. Just what did lay beyond the known of Shuggazoom City? Had anyone ever explored the depths of the lake the City sat upon, or thought to traverse that so called 'death trap' beyond the bridge? Did the legends of monsters lurking in the darkest parts of the water really exist? Was there anything at all in the Zone of Wasted Years besides heat and dust? And even if there really wasn't anything left to find on this world, there was still an entire galaxy out there to explore! Who knew what wonders and horrors lay beyond the sky?

Beautiful baby blues glittered at the excitement of it all, a dare-devilish smirk painting itself across his face as he let himself get lost himself in his imagination. Far away worlds full of adventure, places yet unexplored, monsters yet undefeated, heroes to meet and people to befriend. All of it just waiting for him! '... _But_ ', he thought dejectedly, his excitement fading away as he let his eyes fall to his feet and melancholy swept upon his face. ' _Who am I kidding? I'll never get off this planet in my lifetime. No one leaves the planet._ ' as the Mayor loved to say, who would want to anyway? Pushing his imagination back into its proper place, he inhaled deeply and set off again. The first stars meant time was slipping away; the quicker he was out of this maze the better.

The stench of the trash eventually began to weaken the further he walked down the alley, and glancing down on a whim he was mildly surprised to discover grass breaking through large cracks in the visibly aged concrete. Pausing for a moment, he bent down to pick at a blade of grass in curiosity. Wherever this was, he now at least knew for sure he wasn't heading back into the heart of the City. Grass only grew in certain areas there, and it was kept up by City gardeners almost obsessively. He straightened back up, and glancing back down the alley entertained the thought of turning around and heading back the way he came. In the end however, curiosity and longing won over: he might not ever be able to ever get off of Shuggazoom, but there was something up ahead just ripe for the discovery.

With a bright smile, the eleven year old broke into a light jog, heading in the direction he'd been heading... wait, was that light up ahead?

The boy had to wince against the brightness that suddenly assaulted him, one hand raising to block it out as his eyes adjusted. When they finally did, he vaguely felt his jaw falling open at the sight before him. The buildings and streets of the City, stone and metal, faded into open nature. The air in this area was fresh, and soft grass grew wild beneath his feet. Several meters away, the grass turned into fruit trees, perhaps an orchard that had been abandoned and left to grow wild once upon a time. From the looks of it, none of this looked like it had been touched by humans hands in a long time. The darkness and dreariness of the alley was like a far away memory, taking the noise and bustle of the City with it. Chiro had never been to this part of the City before, that is... if he was still even _in_ the City.

Childish glee struck his heart as he rushed forward, all thoughts of getting back before dark falling away in the rush that came with exploring. The soft crunch of the grass under his shoes sounded so different to the clack of stone, and as he reached out to place his palm on the trunk of the nearest tree he decided he quite liked the feel of it. There were so few trees in the City, even less of them were real like this one was. And what's more, none of them had fruit like that! Chiro eyed the large red balls growing from the tree's canopy hungrily, his stomach agreeing with his thoughts. Even just one of these fruits could probably keep him fed for days, and he had missed dinner thanks to B.T and Glenny... now how to get them down?

The boy's face settled into a determined scowl, crossing his arms over his chest as he assessed the tree for any branches that might be low enough to climb up on. However, the tree's trunk was perfectly smooth, with the lowest hanging branches far too high for him to reach. But there was surely more than one way to dislodge the fruit. And Chiro wasn't going to leave until he found one that worked. Though there were no low hanging branches he decided to risk it. After sliding his heavy backpack off and placing it beside the tree, he leaped up and tried to cling the trunk, his nails digging tightly onto the bark. He managed to scurry up only halfway to his goal before the smooth trunk and gravity teamed up to work against him.

Attempt #1: Failure, with a sore bottom to boot.

The second attempt involved using the longest stick he could find and prodding the fruit, but still the branches held strong to their prizes. The third attempt was met with slightly more success when he threw a rock at it, the branch cracking loudly in the otherwise quiet area. Taking the hint, he grabbed his backpack, took out the heaviest of his schoolbooks, and aimed. "Flying Book Strike!" he shouted with a grin, unable to resist the temptation of imitating a superhero attack, and sent the book flying. It hit true, and the branch snapped in two. The large red fruit landed upon the ground with a soft 'thump!' while his textbook was less graceful. When he retrieved it, there was a noticeable tear in several of the pages and a large grass stain, but he doubted his teacher would notice... or care. Either way, he got what he wanted.

The fruit was as tasty as it looked, tangy with a hint of sweet that sent Chiro into a daze at first bite. He settled underneath the tree with his backpack at his side, enjoying the feel of the grass around him and the shade of the leaves as he enjoyed himself. He was sure this was a little piece of paradise, because despite everything that had happened this was the best day he'd had in a while. Time slipped away from him until he took the last bite of the fruit, surprising himself. "Heh, must've been hungrier than I thought..." he muttered to himself, taking the time to wipe his juice covered hands dry on the grass before sighing and leaning back against the tree to pat his full stomach. On reflex, his eyes traveled back to the sky to check the time; still dusk, though more stars were beginning to arrive. Still plenty of time to wander about before making his way back though.

Time enough to see what else was around here.

His stomach full and his body having rested, he pushed himself to his feet and placed his backpack onto its proper place before setting out further from the City's limits. The trees continued on for a good distance, all of them full of the delicious fruit, and the grassy land stretched on as far as his eye could see. About a mile or so off he thought he could make out the start of the moat that surrounded Shuggazoom City, separating it from the Zone of Wasted Years. So this was still part of the City after all. Why had he never seen this place before then? Just how far on the outskirts was he?

A splash of pink against the green and the clatter of tin drew his attention downward, his gaze landing on a used and abandoned can of what was probably juice or soda rolling back to touch the tip of his shoe. Perhaps a piece of trash that the wind had rolled from the alleys. Another smile lit up his face and he gave the can a tentative tap, watching as it rolled over the grass before rolling back. He kicked it again, a little harder this time, and watched as it rolled further and further away. He gave chase, kicking it twice more before letting it bounce off to the side. How long had it been since he'd played kick-the-can, even if it was by himself?

Chiro allowed his eyes to wander again, glancing here and there, trying to soak in as much as he could before he had to turn around. It was getting later and later; soon the light on the horizon would be gone and he'd have to traverse the alleys in complete darkness. But as that thought crossed his mind, a large wall of metal appeared in his line of sight. "Huh?" his eyes snapped up, following the metal higher and higher on reflex. He blinked once, twice, and then his shock numbed brain caught up and registered what he was seeing. Not a mere wall of metal, but foot. A _giant robot's foot_! "Whoa!" he went to take a step back, but his foot ended up slipping on the grass, sending him careening to the ground with a hard thud.

The mild pain didn't even register in light of this discovery though. This robot was huge! Twice the size of the apartment complex he lived in, only being eclipsed by a few of the taller skyscrapers in the City. It looked in good shape, but who knew how long it had been out here. It looked pretty rust free, though it was covered from top to bottom in a thick green moss. Shock turned to curiosity, and he slowly pushed himself back up. He moved in closer the metal foot for a better observation, reaching out a careful hand to brush against the cool metal. "Weird, but so cool! What's a robot doing all the way out here?" he wondered aloud, staring back up at the robot's face.

A small flash of green ignited unnoticed beneath his palm; the sound of gears and hydraulics surprised him, snapping his attention from the robot's face back to its foot to witness the metal slide downward. Where there was once a solid wall now lay open space, illuminated by flickering blue lights that lined the ceiling. Had that been a door? On the robot's foot? ' _Oookaaay, that's strange. Guess I tripped a switch..._ ' he thought to himself, squinting into the opening and considering his options. Common sense and years of good behavior told him to leave, to walk away and return to his apartment while he could. But... something else was compelling him at the same time, urging him to enter.

' _It's safe._ '

He wasn't sure where that thought had come from, or why it chased away all his reservations about his next course of action, but it was all he needed to give him the courage to take the first step inside. Three steps in, the hydraulics from earlier sounded off again, and the door slid back up to shut out the outside world. Chiro jumped in his skin, twisting around with a nervous expression to stare at the closed off exit. Without the sunlight or an obvious exit, the flickering lights above suddenly seemed ominous in nature. The darkness beyond even more so. He was starting to wonder if this had been the best course of action...

' _It's safe._ '

There was that thought again, forcing down his fears and pushing him to continue his exploration. Taking a deep breath to steel his resolve, he turned away from the door and continued on towards the unknown. A spark of excitement blossomed in his chest, taking some of the caution out of his step. What was there to be cautious about here? It was an abandoned robot in the outskirts of the City, nothing was gonna jump out at him.

Chiro walked further in, but soon found his path obstructed by a set of what looked like... pipes? Six pipes to be exact, and if he looked hard enough he could just make out a groove in the nearest one. The kind one would see when they could open something up. Curiosity peeked, he reached out to touch one of them, his fingers barely brushing the smooth surface. That was all that was needed to trip a hidden button. A click was his only warning before all six tubes hissed and slid wide open. He jerked his hand away quickly, stumbling back a step and wondering if he'd tripped some kind of security system. But when nothing happened he released the breath he was holding. ' _Lots of hidden buttons here. Gotta be more careful_.' he chided himself.

Taking a closer look at the now open tubes brought about a new discovery. ' _They're colored inside!_ ' he realized, pointing out the color of each tube from left to right aloud. "Red. Yellow. Blue. Orange. Green. Black." again the question of what this robot's purpose was for being out here popped into his mind. And what exactly was the purpose of these colored tubes? Why were they colored anyway? Choosing the tube with his favorite color, 'Sun Rider' orange, to investigate first, he poked his head inside and gazed upward, attempting to see if there was something else to these rainbow cylinders. He didn't have much of a chance for seconds later a strong suction caught him in its grip. Before he could blink he was flying up and through the orange tube against his will.

" _ **AHHHH!**_ " he screamed, shutting his eyes against the sensation. It wasn't painful, but it was fast and left little time even for thought, let alone a struggle. He wasn't sure how long he was caught in the grip of the suction, maybe mere seconds or stretching hours, but eventually it spat him out. He tumbled to the flooring, rolling to a stop on his side in a fetal position. He took a moment to catch his breath, then slowly opened his eyes to find himself in a completely different room from before.

Oh, so that's what those tubes were for. Transportation through the robot.

He uncurled from himself and stood up quicker this time, taking in everything there was to see. Unlike in the previous room, which had been lit by soft blue light, this area was almost completely dark save for a few flickering bulbs here and there. It was just enough for him to make out the shapes and items that were set about. Six spherical objects sat in the middle of the room, around a large circular dip in the floor. On the wall they sat facing, a huge insignia stood out: a lightning bolt cutting through yet another circle with three large dots. Stepping closer to analyze the symbol more closely, Chiro racked his brain for any place he might've seen it before; in books, on the television, flyers. Maybe even from the Old Man with the signs he'd see every now and then on his commute to and from school.

...Still nothing... Dang it, just what was the reason for all this being out here?

A sudden flash of green light caught in the corner of his eye, turning his attention away from the insignia and towards the source. He didn't see anything that could've made the flash, but as he looked around he took notice of a doorway off to the side sliding open with no prompting. Again common sense tried to assert itself, screaming in his brain that he should just leave this place. This was getting creepy now. And besides that surely it was way past dark by now, he was going to get in serious trouble! Was all this really worth that?!

' _It's safe._ '

He made for door, propelled by that one calming thought yet again. Entering the doorway, he found himself in a darkened area that spilled into what looked like an engine room. Bulkheads and massive generator machines surrounded him, some even dwarfing him. Surprisingly for being left abandoned for so long, the inside of the robot was in very good condition. The metal had no rust upon it, and it seemed the mossy growth was contained to the outside. Things were a little dusty, but looked like they'd still be in working order for someone who knew how. But no bulkhead or generator could compare with the sight that met his eyes at the center of the room.

Right there, in the middle of the room under the glow of a harsh blue light, was a huge switch. The biggest one he'd ever seen.

The panel it was connected to was simple enough, a few lights and buttons, though the switch was the center point. Chiro approached the panel far more cautiously than he had the transportation tubes; last thing he wanted was to bring the robot crashing down upon his head. But this switch... he wondered if this was possibly the ignition for the robot? That would explain the size and the obvious importance. Why else would someone make a switch that big? The moment that thought crossed his mind, so did the childish urge to pull the switch. If it was the ignition for the robot, he could start it up! How cool would that be?

' _It's safe_.'

With his smile back on his face, he placed his hand upon the large ball on top of the switch. He expected it to be somewhat difficult to pull, but it was light as a feather, its size seemingly belaying its actual weight. The moment he touched it, it slid downward...

And Chiro was blinded and deafened.

Green light, far more bright than any other he'd encountered in this robot, spilled into the room like a flood. His hands flew from the switch to cover his ears as a primal sounding roar shook the walls. Electricity sparked and a mighty force overtook him. It felt like he was in the eye of a hurricane, the sound and chaos all around him but not touching him. Yet at the same time it felt as though he was being filled to the brim with something. Chiro's eyes widened, the sting of tears filling his eyes. It was hard to breathe, like a weight was growing and expanding in his chest, and he was certain he was going to explode at anytime now as he was forced to his knees.

He was scared.

' _It's alright. It's safe. You are safe here. It'll be alright._ '

His last thought before unconsciousness swept over him was that he should've listened to common sense and just went home.

 **[=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=]**

In a separate room deep within the Robot, five cells began to spark and ignite. Power returned to all systems, opening the drains and slowly emptying them of the liquid to awaken the slumbering creatures within. Yet at the same moment that five pairs of eyes came online, a far more sinister force felt a powerful disturbance ripple through the threads of the universe.

From the depths of space, deep within a cavern of bone and ooze, a pair of red optics glowed in the darkness.

"So you finally show yourself... _Chosen One_."

* * *

 **STORY BROADCAST INTERRUPTED.**

 **TO BE CONTINUED IN ARC ONE.**

 **STAY TUNED.**

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES :**

Good evening once more my fellow Super Robot Monkey Team fans! This is the writer formerly known by this community as Snowbellathecheetah. Some of you may or may not remember me, but I was on here a couple years back. I had a Spova Triolgy, a Hyperforce vs Evil Hyperforce story with a twist, and the story most of you will probably know me for called 'New Beginnings', which was a story inspired by a writer called Aunna. Sadly, for all my love of these stories, years and change have forced me to make a decision to put all of these plots to rest. I just don't have the energy or desire for them anymore. But now that I am no longer giving any effort to these things, I have plenty of effort for this!

Without further adieu, I give you the culmination of my obsession: Eyes of Tomorrow. This will be my final and only contribution to the fandom unless inspiration once again strikes, but this will not be just a simple story. For those of you who didn't read the chapters before this revision I'm doing, this story is currently planned to be told in Three Arcs. The first Arc will be about the mysterious origin: how Chiro and the team bonded. I decided to take a much different approach to how Chiro found the Hyper Force, as you can see here. As well, I will be elaborating more on Chiro's life at current in later chapters - for those who read it before, I will be bringing back the Headmistress (not telling who that is for those who haven't read it yet xD) in later chapters. The Headmistress will be pivotal in the first Arc so I can't scrap her just yet. I re-read my story last night, and I felt I was giving away too much and was just rambling in the previous prologue. I like this version better; this merging of the previous first chapter and the previous prologue.

I'm also gonna start a couple little sections below here as well: for shout-outs to Reviewers and those who Favorite the story, and for references to some canonical statements made in the show that will make it into the story. Throughout the series, we get little hints into what life is like for Chiro and/or the Monkey Team beyond what's happened/happening in the episodes, especially in the first season. I'm gonna try and expand on some of these little instances as I come across them. So have fun with those!

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 **REFERENCE CORNER :**

CHIRO'S LOVE OF MAZES: The reference in this chapter is to Chiro's love of mazes. In the third episode of the series, 'Planetoid Q', Chiro states that he loves mazes. (However, I did notice that he never exactly states if he's good at them. xD) So I decided to expand on this comment he made and give it a use: getting away from bullies!

CHIRO'S AGE: I just realized I forgot to put this up. In canon, Chiro is thirteen years old at the start of the series, and turns fourteen years old a few episodes later on. But we have some information missing: he's thirteen at the start of the series... so what age was he when he found the team, and how long had he been with them before the first episode of the canon? I'm saying eleven years old. This by far isn't the only question we have in regards to Chiro, but its the only one I'm giving my answer to at this time.

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 **SHOUT-OUT CENTRAL :**

Thank you, Cluelesslittlerabbit, Pandora the Ghost Elf, Sakura9544 and Witch08 for putting this story in your Favorites! I'm glad you all enjoyed my first version of the story enough to do so! I hope this revision and the upcoming chapters pleased you just as much as the other version did.

Thank you, animerandom415 and BazookaNeon, for adding this story to your Alerts! Hopefully you still are interested in what's to come, and will stay to see the story to its completion. As well, more thanks given to Cluelesslittlerabbit, Pandora the Ghost Elf and Sakura9544, for also adding this story to your Alerts!

To **Cluelesslittlerabbit** : I'm happy to hear that! I'm really hoping I get this story done right, which is why I'm doing this revision of the prologue now. I hope you enjoy what else is to come. Because I have plans... _big_ plans. ^u^

To **Sakura9455** : You won't have to wait any longer! =3

To **Guest** : Whoever you are, here's your update! Just click the Next Chapter button and enjoy!

To **Pandora the Ghost Elf** : EEEH! I'm happy you enjoyed it so much! I too got back into the fandom recently, and I am happy to give you my next update now. I hope you continue to enjoy this journey. =3

To **michiforever900304** : Glad to hear it!

To **Witch08** : Here ya go! =3

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 **COMMUNICATION WITH AUTHOR OFFLINE.**

 **SEE YOU NEXT TIME!**


	2. ARC ONE: SCENE ONE

**Disclaimer & Warning:** This story is purely fan-made; I will not and never will own SRMTHFG! or any of it's canon characters, I'm only using them here for my own sick amusement. Be warned, this story is rated T/M for a reason. I am very big on details, and some things may be graphic in this story - gore, death, blood, etc. Triggering material may also be present in some chapters. If this offends you, please turn away now. Constructive criticism is welcome, so please feel free to do so: I am constantly learning how to be a better writer and anything to help would be greatly appreciated.

 **Shout Out:** Thank you to all my beta readers, you know who you are. Without you, I'd never have been able to get this done!

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 **ARC ONE: SCENE ONE  
**

 **'THE AWAKENING'**

"Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced." - _Soren Kierkegaard  
_

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 **[*]** The first thing she became aware of was the cold.

It came on quickly like a splash of ice cold water. The warmth of the hibernation cell drained away with the golden preservation liquids that kept her comfortably suspended. Her connection to the Super Robot's operating systems was cut abruptly, and she was left to gravity's clutches as she dropped into a crouch on the bottom of her cell. Hydraulics hissed and creaked from years of disuse, and then the glass separating her from the outside world vanished into the ceiling and dispelled any last remnants of warmth. Immediately her metal arms and tail simultaneously came up around her small golden colored body in a tight hug, trying to still the violent shivers that overtook her. Had it always been this cold before?

But with the sting of the chill against her nerves came awareness, trickling back into her consciousness ever so slowly. Her sleep addled mind tried to catch up with what had happened. She was awake, which meant the Robot was back online, which meant...

"Hey! Guys, guys! I can't see! _I can't see_!" her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden voice that pierced through the fog and her bubblegum optics snapped open. The first sight that greeted her was that of a green monkey walking carefully around the area, hands reaching out to desperately grasp at anything they touched. "Are the lights dead? Can any of you guys see anything? Quickly! Follow the sound of my voice! Oh, why aren't those night vision sensors working?!" each word spoken bounced off the walls, steadily growing louder and louder in volume. Warily curious, she tilted her head in confusion, one brow raising as she regarded her companion.

A groan sounded from her immediate right. She turned her attention from the still wandering green one to the newly awakened blue one as he walked out of his own hibernation cell. "The lights are just fine," came the sophisticated and educated sounding voice that she hadn't heard in so long. The sudden sound of a loud ' _pang!_ ' resulted in a slight feedback in her audio receptors, painting a wince on her face. She turned back to where she'd left her green teammate; as it turns out, the sudden sound of the blue monkey's voice had made the green one take a sudden change in direction... face-first right into a bulkhead. "And you'd see that yourself, Otta, if you would just _open your eyes_." folding his arms over his chest, the blue monkey's jet black optics narrowed slightly in a truly annoyed glare.

A pair of charcoal colored optics, just a few shades lighter than the azure primate's, snapped open at the command. Slowly getting her bearings together, she turned her head from left to right, taking in the sight of the room and the bulkhead she had slammed into before a delighted grin overcame her face. "Yay!" her hands flew into the air with the exclamation. "Never-mind guys, the lights work! Thanks Gibson!" she twisted her form back, waving to the blue monkey in gratefulness. Gibson merely sighed, one hand coming up to pinch the bridge of his muzzle as he silently counted to ten in his mind. He had just woken up, he didn't need to deal with his so soon. Especially when there were other more important things to consider.

Very, very important things.

Yawning and rubbing the sleep from his eyes, the crimson member of the ensemble joined the small gathering. Shiny onyx optics, similar but different to the green and blue ones, blinked lazily as they adjusted while one hand raised to the top of his head to scratch at an itch. "Oh hey guys," he mumbled sleepily, his gaze falling from one team member to the other. "Nice to see you all again." his gaze finally landed on Gibson, and his optics narrowed slightly. "Well, most of you anyway." A low growl rumbled from Gibson's throat in response, his tail curling and lashing behind him in annoyance. Under his breath he mumbled to himself, too low to hear all of it, but Otta was pretty sure she heard something about 'imbeciles' and 'too soon to deal with this menace'.

Said red menace resolutely ignored him, stretching his arms above his head before folding them behind his head as he looked about the empty room. "So, anyone know what time it is... or year for that matter? How long were we out for?"

Those were good questions. Pushing aside his annoyance, Gibson moved to the command console connected to the hibernation cells, his fingers moving quickly over the keypad. A small holographic screen sparked into existence, a stream of data and dates floating before his eyes. "Hmm, well according to these numbers, it has been exactly..." his eyes widened as he jerked his head back to his teammates. " _Two hundred and thirty eight_ planetary years since we went into stasis!" his shock was shared by his fellow monkeys at the news, all traces of sleepiness gone from their faces.

Two hundred and thirty eight years, just over two centuries. Two centuries of waiting, of floating uselessly in stasis while who knows what happened outside. What about Shuggazoom, what had become of it? Was their beloved city even still there to defend?

Multicolored optics turned to regard each other, as if the answers to these unsettling questions could be found in their teammate's faces. "Well," the golden female began hesitantly, slowly unfurling her limbs from around herself, her body finally acclimated to the outside conditions. "We're awake, right? Someone had to have woke us up, which means the planet is still inhabited... right?" though her voice was confident, the look in her eyes and the smile that didn't quite reach her eyes spoke to how she wasn't exactly sure of her own words. Yes, it was a logical and certain conclusion to come to: they had set the hibernation cells to awaken them from hyper sleep when the Robot had been rebooted. The only way that could've happened is if a certain person had been granted access into the Robot and flipped the switch in the Main Engine Room. There had to be at least one person still on Shuggazoom for that to happen.

Her ruby colored companion let his arms fall from the back of his head to cross over his chest, a thoughtful look coming to his features as he stared at the floor. "Two hundred years..." he muttered softly, his tail curling slowly behind him as he digested this new information. "We've been stuck in here for two hundred years, Nova. Whoever this Chosen One is," he turned his sights onto his golden companion, optics narrowing as old frustrations and anger lost to the hyper sleep sparked back to life. "They'd better have been worth this, and whatever else has happened while we've been out." he didn't say anything else, but with the unspoken, thinly veiled promise shining in his eyes, he didn't need to.

"Sprx..." the golden furred female started to open her muzzle to reply, but was interrupted by a sudden question from Otta. The green female pointed one metallic finger towards the middle of the five stasis cells, empty and open just like theirs. Five cells, four teammates:

"Hey guys, anybody know where Antauri went?"

 **[=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=]**

When he had given the order for them to go into hyper sleep and await the arrival of their Chosen One, he wasn't sure what was in store for him and his team. Though he had absolute confidence in the Power Primate and for all intents and purposes was considered a master in its use, he was by no means a _true_ master of the mystical force. And he certainly made no claims to be one either. He still had much to learn about the force he relied upon; its intricacies and secrets still remained just out of his reach. And though he liked to think had a good grasp over what he had learned so far, it by no means meant he knew what to expect of it. But the uncertainty of the unknown had never shaken his faith, either in the Power Primate or in his team.

Whatever was thrown their way, he had the faith that he and his team could handle it, and the Power Primate would guide them justly. Just as he had faith in the prophecy the Verron Mystics had imparted to him when he visited them days before the team entered the hibernation cells.

Now, after centuries that seemed to have gone by in minutes, the prophecy was finally set to be fulfilled. The one who had been chosen lead the Hyper Force by the Power Primate itself against the greatest evil the universe had ever known; an evil that they had not yet been tested against. He knew and understood that going into this there would be troubles; the mistakes and hardships that were now years in the past were still as fresh as yesterday in the hearts and minds of both himself and his brothers and sisters. He would admit openly to his team that he too was apprehensive about a new leader if asked, but against the greater threat that was incoming he was willing to put aside his fears and take a chance.

However, as olive green eyes stared at the unconscious form at his feet, it only now occurred to him that while the prophecy had said a Chosen One would arise, it hadn't said exactly _what_ the Chosen One would be.

...To put it simply, he wasn't sure what to make of the sight before him.

The black monkey knelt down beside the strange human child he'd found slumped on floor of the Main Engine Room, silently considering his presence in the Super Robot and exactly what that meant. His head turned, eyes landing on the switch that had been pushed out of the neutral setting, then back to the human. Cautiously, one four-fingered hand reached out to rest upon the newcomer's shoulder, closing his eyes and focusing on the child's life-force.

The moment his soul came into contact with the child's, he could feel the strong, vibrant pulse: the human was still very much alive and relatively unharmed, just scared and passed out cold and likely to remain that way for a while. But that wasn't the only thing that he could sense within him. It took all of Antauri's training not to be overwhelmed by the sensation of _sheer power_ that encircled the soul, rushing through the small form like a raging river. The shock of its discovery stole his breath from his lungs, and all of his suspicions and doubts that had taken seed were put to rest. He recognized this power, the very same mystic force that he trusted and put so much faith in, that he sometimes felt he knew better than he knew himself and yet felt that he knew nothing about at all.

But... it felt different than it had before; it felt so _alive_ , so powerful and uncontrollable as if it would burst from the human's skin at any moment.

Antauri returned his focus to the physical realm, his hand coming back to rest on his bent knees while he turned his eyes to the boy's face to regard him for a second time. There was no mistake, not after what he had just felt lurking within the child's soul. This human was the Chosen One, the one destined to combat the great evil that would soon descend upon their fair City. He wouldn't have been able to access the Robot if he wasn't, and he certainly wouldn't have the Power Primate, a force that as far as he knew no human had ever been able to call upon let alone control, practically living inside of him. It all added up, all the evidence was there...

...but, for all his faith and confidence, he just didn't understand; _why_ did the Power Primate choose this boy?

A knock of metal against metal at the entrance to the Engine Room drew his attention. Otta stood at the entrance, a glint in her optics and a smile, one he had not seen in so long, painted over her muzzle. "Found him!" she called out over her shoulder to the rest of the team before jogging into the room to practically tackle him in a crushing hug. The black second-in-command saw it coming, had braced for the impact, but he still had to catch himself before he fell face first onto the unconscious human in front of him. "Don't scare us like that 'Tauri!" Otta admonished him gently. "We woke up and you weren't there with us! We were worried!" and yes, that was a definite pout he heard in her voice, though the smile hadn't left her muzzle.

A warm smile of his own found its way onto his face. After what had happened before their hyper sleep, it did his heart and soul good to see her smiling and jesting again. "My apologies, Otta." he replied patiently, one hand reaching up to pat her arm. "I shall endeavor to let you know where I am going from now on. But perhaps you can release me now so we can tend to our guest?" that seemed to be what she wanted to hear because she did release him from her crushing grip, a satisfied look about her face.

"I'm gonna hold you to your word, 'Tauri," she warned with a giggle before she finally noticed the person on the floor who hadn't been there before. Surprise colored her face, and she knelt down beside Antauri to investigate for herself. Her tail came around her body to nudge curiously at the unconscious form, head tilting to an extreme right in curiosity. "Is this him? Is he gonna be our new leader? Why isn't he awake? There's nothing wrong with him is there? ...Aren't humans suppose to be bigger? He is a human right?" her stream of quick fired questions were left unanswered in the wake of the arrival of the others, blue, red and golden forms filing in through the doorway.

Gibson was the first to reach them, kneeling on the other side of the boy's body to join his teammates' in their observations. "Hmm, well this is... unprecedented..." he muttered, falling into centuries old habits as he carefully began to do a cursory examination on the stranger. He wasn't at all what he would call an expert on human anatomy, but back when monsters roamed Shuggazoom City's streets on a near daily basis he was usually the first one to tend to the injured before the medics were allowed on scene. He was certain if there was anything bad wrong he'd be able to find it. Nova had taken position behind Antauri and Otta's forms, tiptoeing to crane her neck as far as it would go to get a good look at the intruder in their midst. The one they'd been awaiting for close to two in a half centuries. She blinked once, twice, three times as she digested the scene before her. This Chosen One guy looked... young. Very, very young...

"Please tell me this is a joke," Sprx stated blandly the moment he realized exactly what his teammates had knelt beside. His tail lashed out behind him in a rage, and the traces of a twitch could be seen making its way into his right eye. "Tell me this is someone's idea of a joke right now." that was the only explanation for this. The only explanation why there would be a _human child_ in the Robot, in the Main Engine Room next to the pulled ignition switch. Someone was playing a damn joke and having a real good laugh at their expense. Because there was no way, _absolutely no way_ , that this... this _kid_ was the one who these Mystic-y People that told Antauri that stupid prophecy was talking about.

But as Antauri turned his all too calm gaze to him, Sprx could feel the knot in his stomach tighten even before the black monkey spoke. "This is no joke, Sprx. This child is the one the prophecy foretold. This is our Chosen One." as those still far too calm eyes turned away from him to rest on the kid again, Sprx swore he felt some of the circuitry in his brain frizzle and pop.

 **[=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=]**

The fallout was just as expected.

" _ **ARE YOU ALL OUT OF YOUR MONKEY DOODLING MINDS?!**_ "

Drawing on years and years of practice and experience in dealing with the red pilot and the nonsense he spouted on a regular basis, Gibson expertly tuned out the raging red monkey's screeching and cursing. He made a quick mental note to bring up Sprx's language at a later date, however. No matter the situation there was never a call for language such as that.

Putting Sprx as far out of his mind as he could, he set about to continue his examination of the intruder found in the Engine Room. After he had given him a thorough glance over and found no major or life-threatening injuries on the child's person, he and the rest of the team (sans Sprx, who looked like he was on the verge of a complete nervous breakdown) had brought the youth into the Sick Bay. Fortunately for all that the Robot had fallen into disrepair - much to Otta's horror as she witnessed a light fixture fall off during the short walk - it was a great relief that many of the main operating systems were in otherwise decent working condition.

Gibson was also thankful that though this stranger was found unconscious on the floor, there didn't seem to be anything remotely wrong with him physically aside from slight bout of minor malnutrition. Whatever had happened in the Main Engine Room had likely just shocked him into fainting. He was truly lucky he didn't hit his head on the console or a nearby bulkhead when he fell. The clothing on the child seemed to be in order; no visible rips, bloodstains or filth aside from some grass and unidentifiable gunk that clung to the bottom of his pants and shoes. The lack of such oddities prompted him to decide not to remove the child's clothing, save for the white pack he'd carried on his back.

All in all, the human seemed like an otherwise healthy and fit young male. Though Gibson had lost track of the human's pack a few minutes ago; he thought he'd laid it beside the leg of the examination table... ah, well.

With the health of the human no longer in question, his mind left anything having to do with medical sciences and training and turned to the very thoughts he was certain were bombarding his fellow teammates'. As loud of a protest that Sprx was putting up against this, it pained Gibson to agree that the team's ace pilot had a point. This human was young, unnervingly so. His best guess was that he hadn't even begun to enter maturity yet; in fact if those studies he'd done on human behavior in his spare time still held true all these centuries later, he should still be living with his mother and father. Which begged the question, just where exactly were his parental figures? Why had he been found alone?

Gibson turned away from the examination table and his patient, leaving the Sick Bay to rejoin with his teammates in the Command Center. The minute the door slid open to admit him entrance however, he found himself desiring to retreat back behind it. Sprx was still on a rampage, screeching and screaming and raging for all he was worth. The pilot's voice was starting to reach decibels even Gibson had never hypothesized it could and it was taking every scrap of his dignity not to cover his audio receptors against the noise. By now Gibson couldn't even decipher the exact language that was coming out of the crimson monkey's mouth however, if it was a language at all. Not for the first time he admired Antauri for his eternal patience. The team's de facto leader just stood by calmly, waiting for Sprx to tire himself out so he could get a word in edgewise.

Saving grace came in the form of a giant yellow fist slammed directly on top of the red monkey's head, silencing him with a sharp yelp, and at last peace enveloped the Command Center. "Can it, Sprx," Nova's growled as she cracked her knuckles threateningly over the floored red monkey. "Yelling and screaming isn't going to help matters. Its just gonna give everyone headaches we don't need right now."

"It's a kid, Nova!" Sprx spat out, pushing himself off the floor in an unnaturally quick recovery from the punishing blow. "It's a freaking _kid_! We got what is suppose to be the greatest threat the universe or whatever-the-heck-you-wanna-call-it can spit out coming our way, and we're suppose to put all our hopes and dreams on a guy who probably doesn't even have all his teeth grown in yet!" he threw his hands up in exasperation, eyes desperately looking from one Hyper Force member to the other for support. Whatever was coming, it would probably take one look at this so-called 'Chosen One', then swallow him in one bite. Then it would take out the City next just because it could and had no one to stop it. "Does anyone else not see the problem here?!"

"I will admit this is not the best case scenario, Sprx," Antauri's deep baritone filled the room, eyes locking with their darker counterparts across from him. Inwardly, he admitted only to himself, that sentence was possibly quite the understatement. "But there is no doubt left to be had. The child has the Power Primate surging within him, I can sense it. And I'm certain you all could as well."

Silence reigned for all of a minute, no one, not even Sprx, having anything to say in contradiction to that statement. They all had felt a shift in the air, and they couldn't deny that there was something different about the boy laying in the Sick Bay. Something all too familiar, yet completely unfamiliar. It couldn't be properly explained and likely would remain that way. No human they'd interacted with, as few interactions as they'd had in the past, had ever had the presence this child had. Or this effect on the team. And while his teammates didn't have the training he had, Antauri was absolutely certain with how strong the Power Primate's presence was inside the human child that anyone, monkey, human or otherwise and whether they had spiritual training or not, who came within a ten foot radius of the child would recognize something different about him.

It was as though the Power Primate itself had been given life the moment it entered... no, that wasn't the right word. _Merged_ was more like it, having become a part of the boy and he had become apart of it. A single entity that promised so much more with time. The prophecy had foretold a Master of the Power Primate like none that had come before or would ever come again; even with everything that was against this course of action, Antauri could feel his fur prickle at the thought of what this unknown boy could possibly become one day with the right training and determination.

Realizing he was quickly losing this battle, Sprx decided to change tactics. "But...!" he sputtered, flailing his hands over his head as tried to think of another argument he could bring forward. "But guys! This... this kid isn't ready for something like this! He probably spends his days playing with friends and fussing over what to wear for tomorrow! I'll bet my best magnet polish he's never been in a battle of any shape in his life! He won't know how to handle a weapon or fly a ship or...!" he would've continued to rant, but another good wack from Nova's fist had silenced him quite nicely.

With the red simian nursing his wounded face and pride in silence, Gibson decided to add his two cents in. "While I'm loathed to agree with Sprx, I have to admit he's right." he sighed through his nose, a bland look upon his face as he turned to Antauri. "I would be heavily surprised if the juvenile male in the Sick Bay had any sort of combat training or preparation. He may have the Power Primate, but I don't believe that will be enough to save him in the thick of battle. Especially if he doesn't even know how to use it." he turned his attention away from his teammates, glancing around at the still too dark Command Center with a critical eye.

Raising a metallic finger, he gingerly ran it over the side of one of the chairs, grimacing in disgust as it came away covered in dust. "Of course, I doubt we are in any similar shape to do combat with anything ourselves." he stated, shaking the offending debris from his person. "Most of the Robot's critical systems are still in working order, but it is still in need of both major and minor repairs, not to mention a thorough scrubbing. Upgrades will have to be made to all systems and firewalls, both for the Robot and us, and I'll be impressed if our own combat skills haven't suffered during our hyper sleep." he glanced back at his teammates with a serious expression. "Simply put, the City and us are sitting ducks right now."

Otta kicked her legs out thoughtfully from her perch atop one of the spherical chairs in the center of the room, looking up from the large book she had been flipping through. An unzipped familiar white pack hung haphazardly on her tail, a few papers and pencils falling to the floor as she swung it back and forth slightly. "I can start the repairs to the Robot as soon as I get a few parts from my Workshop," she nodded, one hand raising to her chin as she considered her options. "I'll have to also start work on repairing the personal rooms; I don't know about you guys, but mine got trashed when..." she stopped suddenly, eyes widening before she curled in on herself slightly. In less than a moment, the air in the room had shifted from tense to suffocating, each member looking slightly disturbed at the reminder. Otta didn't need to finish her sentence, they already knew what she was gonna say.

' _When we fought Mandarin._ '

"...That's another thing," Sprx's now far too quiet timbre echoed in the tension, something dead and poisonous in his tone. "What if this brat turns out to be exactly like _him_?" he let that question hang in the air as he locked narrowed eyes with Antauri, silently challenging his second-in-command to reply. Though Otta may have taken it the hardest when Mandarin betrayed the team, Sprx had taken most of the brunt before and during the battle. The crimson monkey's instincts had never steered him wrong, and when he had come rushing into the Sick Bay that day carrying a nearly comatose Nova after a disastrous training exercise, that had been the final straw.

After that, it was a constant cold war between both orange and red simians that only broke when it had all come to a final head.

Antauri met Sprx's challenging stare with one of his own, olive colored optics narrowing to mirror his brother's as he observed the still burning hatred that laid just beneath the surface. Hatred directed at another who was no longer with them. "We do not know this child yet," he said without inflection, hoping to ease the hold of the hatred that still had Sprx's heart. "What we believe he could be and what he is are likely two very different things. I highly doubt a youth this young has any ideas that come close to the ideals _he_ tried to preach to us." though he said this aloud, a nagging thought at the back of his head whispered traitorously that it was a very real possibility. Mandarin had been trained in the Power Primate right beside him, and was far more experienced with its use than Antauri had been. Yet all the same, he had turned down an evil path. There was nothing to say this boy wouldn't follow in the former leader's footsteps.

But at the same time, there wasn't anything that said he _would_ either. That one comfort would have to do for now.

Sprx continued to hold Antauri's gaze for a few more minutes, before he broke eye contact with a harsh snort. "I'm going to go check on my room," he growled as he turned away from the team, stomping towards his transport tube with balled fists. "Do whatever you guys want. I'm done trying to make you see reason." with that last scathing remark, he vanished up into other parts of the Robot. Nova made a move to go after him, but was stilled when Antauri laid a hand upon her shoulder.

"Give him time, Nova," the spiritual leader advised her, his eyes moving from her uncertain ones to the red tube. "He will come around eventually, we are all still raw from the events that transpired." the golden female glanced over at the ruby transport tube with an unreadable expression before she gave in, her muscles going slack underneath her elder brother's hand. Antauri was right; Mandarin's betrayal had blindsided them all. Sprx may have been the first one to see it coming, but there was a time when even he had trusted Mandarin without question. Had loved him like a brother and would've gladly followed him into battle and laid down his life for him just as they all would've. That knowledge only made the betrayal that much worse.

With Nova's silent surrender Antauri turned to address the remaining members of the team. "For now, perhaps we should wait until our guest awakens." he suggested, turning his attention onto Gibson. "Gibson, you mentioned that our combat prowess could have suffered during the hibernation. So one of our top priorities will have to be to get the Training Room back to operational status." a thoughtful look flashed over his features for a moment as he crossed his arms over his chest, considering his next choice of words before speaking them aloud. "And as for our guest, under the circumstances, perhaps it is best if we wait until he awakens before we speak anymore of his future here or otherwise." throughout this entire argument, they had been speaking as if it had already been decided that the boy was staying with them. But with a child of his age, there were many other factors to consider.

He may have the Power Primate, but the fact remained that choices that effected a child's entire life were not yet theirs to make. And even if this life altering decision was his to make, joining the team was a choice as well, not an obligation or something that could be forced upon him. There was no guarantee he would even want to stay and Antauri wouldn't blame him if he didn't. Whatever was coming their way was foretold to be worse than anything they had encountered before; it was not the kind of monster a youth should face. If the case turned out that the boy didn't want anything to do with the team, Antauri would accept it. Perhaps he would offer to help the child learn how to better control the mystical force that had become a part of him, but that would be the extent of it. Despite what Sprx seemed to think, no one on the team was too keen on this situation. All Antauri could do was trust in the Power Primate, and believe that it wasn't steering them wrong.

A loud crash coming from the Sick Bay sounded off before anyone could add to Antauri's statement. Four heads jerked in unison to the closed door, cybernetic eyes wide and blinking at the metal barrier...

It would seem their guest was finally awake.

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 **STORY BROADCAST INTERRUPTED.**

 **TO BE CONTINUED IN SCENE TWO.**

 **STAY TUNED.**

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 **AUTHOR'S NOTES :**

Hiya everyone! I hope you all are having a fine day, and that you have enjoyed the story thus far. As you can see, I have made quite a major change to one of the cast line up here. Namely: Otto is now female. x3 Oh, yes I went there people! This is not a mistake, and I don't want rabid fans constantly getting on my case about this gender-swap I've done. I am very well aware that Otto is male in canon, but for the direction I want to take this story Otto is better suited as a female. This is an AU/AR story, meaning that things are not gonna adhere strictly to the canon. That isn't to say I won't follow the canonical line at all. I will just come out and say that the second Arc of this story will be heavily canon compliant for the most part with my own little twist. But for the first and third Arcs, this is why the AU/AR is there in the summary. Otto's gender is only one of the reasons why. xD

...Now, I am not going to lie to you; please take note of the warning at the top of each chapter. The further I go into this story, the darker its gonna get. Sometimes it will be so dark you won't see light at the end of the tunnel until the end, but don't worry. I do plan on this having a happy ending after all, but our favorite monkeys and boy are gonna have to walk through hell to get that happy ending. For now, please enjoy the current chapters and review, favorite and add it to your alerts! As I am posting this chapter up with the newly revised prologue, I will not have a Shout-Out Central section below here. But there should be some interesting tidbits in the Reference Corner for you to make up with that.

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 **REFERENCE CORNER :**

SKELETON KING'S COMING: You may have noticed that I didn't strictly say that the evil coming is the Skeleton King even though we all know that's who it is. My reasoning: we do not specifically know that the Monkey Team fought Skeleton King while they were under Mandarin's leader. I don't believe it was ever stated, and quite honestly I don't believe Skeleton King would've stopped attacking the City if the Hyper Force had gone to sleep. In fact I don't think the Hyper Force would have gone to sleep _at all_ if Skeleton King was lurking about, leaderless or not. My theory: after the Alchemist erased their memories, I believe he left the planet before he fully succumbed to the Dark Ones' power. Then he probably laid low for a time, building his own power by corrupting other worlds and perfecting his Formless minions before the arrival of the Chosen One brought him back to Shuggazoom. We know that the Monkey Team had trained in their own respective skills in different parts of the galaxy for a time, and when they returned they most likely picked up where Captain Shuggazoom left off, as it seems there were plenty of villains and monsters attacking the City _before_ the Skeleton King even existed. xD

SPRX'S REACTION: Just getting this out before you guys say anything, Sprx is not doing or saying anything to be needlessly mean. This is a common theme in many of the origin stories I've read, in which Sprx is the one most opposed to Chiro being the leader of the Hyper Force for multiple reasons. I honestly believe its in character for him; he is the one monkey who goes more by his instincts than any of the others (Gibson relies on logic, Nova on force, Otto on quick-thinking, and Antauri on spiritual faith), and I know my first instinct at learning that a kid is gonna lead me into battle against a world shattering evil would be to freak out. Both for my planet, my team, myself, and the kid in question. Adding onto this are the still raw wounds from Mandarin's betrayal, which while being 238 years previous feel like less than a few days ago for the team. Their last memories before their hibernation is fighting the leader they loved and trusted with their lives; they're gonna be more than apprehensive.

TIME IN HYPER SLEEP: I just picked a random number. xD We know that they trained with their teachers for a while, protected the City for probably a good number of years and were probably out for about a similar length of time, considering how old Captain Shugazoom was when they found him, but that's about it. But it takes a lot longer than a few years to forget a legend - Captain Shuggazoom was virtually unheard of, and since Shuggazoom doesn't seem too interested in the past in canon either, I'm guessing two hundred or so years would be enough time for people to forget. Especially in a time of relative peace.

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 **COMMUNICATION WITH AUTHOR OFFLINE.**

 **SEE YOU NEXT TIME!**


	3. ARC ONE: SCENE TWO

**Disclaimer & Warning:** This story is purely fan-made; I will not and never will own SRMTHFG! or any of it's canon characters, I'm only using them here for my own sick amusement. Be warned, this story is rated T/M for a reason. I am very big on details, and some things may be graphic in this story - gore, death, blood, etc. Triggering material may also be present in some chapters. If this offends you, please turn away now. Constructive criticism is welcome, so please feel free to do so: I am constantly learning how to be a better writer and anything to help would be greatly appreciated.

 **Shout Out:** Thank you to all my beta readers, you know who you are. Without you, I'd never have been able to get this done!

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 **ARC ONE: SCENE TWO  
**

 **'FIRST IMPRESSIONS'**

"Change is the law of life. Those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future." - _John F. Kennedy  
_

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 **[*]** Light...

Bright light. Hanging above him. All around him.

A pitiful whimper was breathed passed Chiro's lips, one shaky hand coming to rest over his eyes to try and block out the light. It wasn't particularly painful, just annoying and not what he wanted to see when he first woke up. The hand that wasn't protecting his vision spread against the metal underneath him, the smooth surface cool to the touch and not particularly comfortable. There was already a small pain starting to dig into his spine. On reflex alone, he pushed himself up into a sitting position, groaning as he rubbed his abused eyes with the heel of his palm. What in Shuggazoom had even happened? He couldn't remember, everything was a blur of green- wait a minute.

It all came flooding back to him in a wave. Exploring the outskirts, finding the giant robot, the switch in the strange room and the sudden light. And the noise. The deafening noise! He gasped at the shock of his memories, eyes snapping open expecting to see the strange room full of bulkheads and switches. What he got did nothing to ease the steadily growing terror in his chest. He was pretty sure he was still in the robot but... this... was _not_ the room he had been in before. Bulkheads and consoles were replaced by dusty offline computer screens, strange machines and glass tubes. Sterile white light filled the room from above, while the liquids within the tubes glowed with their own luminescence. Glancing down, he discovered that metal floor he'd passed out on had been replaced with a smooth metal table. The familiar weight of his backpack was also missing from his person.

Chiro felt new beads of sweat trickling down the back of his neck; he had passed out cold in the other room, and last he knew his backpack had still been attached to him. He couldn't have gotten here on his own, and with a quick glance around the table he confirmed his backpack was no where in sight. There was only way he could've gotten here without his backpack, and the realization filled him with dread.

Someone else was in the robot with him.

A living, breathing person had brought him into this strange room and taken his backpack. Probably was still in the robot somewhere too.

Great Shuggazoom he couldn't recall a time when he had screwed up this badly!

Chiro stifled a fearful whine and swallowed it back down before it could leave his mouth, his hands coming up to claw at his raven hair in fear. His body curled in on itself on the cold metal table, his mind going a hundred miles per hour. How was he gonna get out of this one? Who was in the robot with him, which room were they in and were they coming back for him? That last question had his heart rate speeding up to unsafe levels again. If they were coming back for him, he had to get out of here and fast. The image of the transportation tubes appeared in his mind, giving some hope to his otherwise hopeless situation. If he could get back to the tubes and get back to the robot's foot door, he would be home free!

In an adrenaline fueled rush, the boy blindly scrambled off of the table. The moment his feet made contact with the floor however, something went wrong. In his haste, he made a wrong step; to his horror he felt one of his legs crumble under his weight with a sharp pain. He yelped loudly and instinctively tried to catch himself on the table, but his sweaty hands slipped from the smooth surface and he collapsed in a graceless heap. Chiro hissed as a dull throb pulsed its way up his right leg, a couple of tears squeezing from behind his tightly shut eyes. He gingerly rolled himself into a sitting position, forcing his eyes to open so he could check the damage he'd done to himself. The second he reached out to brush his fingers against his injury, he recoiled as the throbbing turned sharp and mind-numbing. In dawning horror, he realized he'd just twisted his ankle.

Scrambling for a shred of the hope that had just been snatched from him, Chiro fought back the fear threatening to overtake him and reached back up to grab the edge of the table. Putting his weight on his arms, he began to pull himself up, managing to get back onto his one good foot while using the table as a crutch. ' _This is good,_ ' he thought through the haze of pain. ' _I can still make it. I can still get out of here!_ ' he was almost giddy, a grin threatening to split his face while he limped to the end of the table. His way of escape was still a good ways off, the metal door sealed shut against the outside world, but on his immediate left there was a large computer of some sort. It didn't reach the door either but it could at least get him closer. That was what was most important right now; he'd figure the rest out as he went.

Inhaling a deep breath through his nose, Chiro cautiously leaned and reached for the console, carefully leaning on his good left foot. But he underestimated how far the distance was; he leaned too far, and his good foot slipped out from under him. Reflexively he put down his other foot to steady himself, and cried out when the sharp pains ricocheted through his body. He tumbled to the floor face first; his hands caught him before his face hit the hard metal, but now the pain was too intense for him to do anything but breathe through his teeth. His vision went watery, pools of fearful, pained tears gathering in his eyes and slowly trickling down his face as hope fled from him. It was over; there was no way whoever was in the robot hadn't heard him cry out like that. Any minute, someone was gonna come through that door, and he wouldn't be able to get away from them.

The eleven year old curled up on his side, his back to the doorway and his hands over his head. He didn't want to see whoever came through that door for him. He was too scared to face the fate he could no longer escape. As if on cue, the hydraulics on the door hissed, signalling the arrival of whoever had brought him in here. Chiro drug his knees up closer to his chest, curling further in on himself. The tears began to multiply, small whimpers escaping his lips as several sets of footsteps and whirling sounds filled his ears. So it wasn't just one person, but several...!

"Hey!" a surprised sounding feminine voice was the first one he heard, one set of footsteps quickening their pace before a shadow fell over him. "What are you doing on the floor?" he sensed her reaching for him, and he flinched away violently, surprising whoever it was who was hovering over him. "Ah, man, the poor kid's scared out of his wits..." there was sympathy in that voice now, sounding so genuine and sincere that it honestly confused him. That was not what he was expecting; weren't kidnappers suppose to be mean? "Otta, help me get him up. I think he might've hurt himself." another shadow joined the first one, and then two gentle pairs of hands eased him up into a sitting position.

Chiro kept his eyes resolutely shut, his hands covering his eyes. Years of experience told him that even though someone acted nice it didn't always mean they were; it could be a trick, something to make him let his guard down. A soft chuckle sounded from directly in front of him, the closeness of the sound startling another whimper from him. "Aw, c'mon," a new, slightly deeper feminine voice soothed - the one called 'Otta' he guessed - as two small hands covered his."We're not gonna hurt ya. We can't be that scary, can we?" she sounded nice, even if her hands felt weird. They were hard and smooth, made of metal like the table and floor, but unlike the aforementioned surfaces these were warm. So very warm. Curiosity bubbled through the fear, and he let the strange pair of hands gently pull his down...

...and he found himself face-to-face with the strangest thing he'd ever seen.

Blue eyes widened to what felt like the size of dinner plates, while big black optics closed under the mirth of a smile. "There we go! Hiya!" one metallic hand waved in front of him in a joyful greeting. Chiro blinked in response, staring at this little green creature with the happy smile that knelt before him. Take away the metal and robotic parts, and he was pretty sure it could be a monkey. A robotic talking monkey. His eyes turned from the green monkey, falling upon three others - a yellow one with big pink eyes that was right next to him, a blue one with black eyes like the green one standing by the table, and a black one with green eyes a little ways off from the others.

Well, he wasn't afraid anymore, but what was he suppose to think about this? Was this a dream?

Yeah, it had to be a dream. He must have knocked himself out when he fell that second time and now he was dreaming...

The longer the silence went on, the more awkward it became. The smile on the one he believed was Otta vanished from her face, her hand falling from its greeting posture to rest at her side. She tilted her head, regarding the human boy in front of her before she turned to the yellow one. "Um... this is awkward." she chuckled sheepishly. "Did I say something wrong?"

Her golden furred companion shrugged, looking just as put out as she did. "Maybe he can't understand us, Otta." it was the first voice that addressed him, so this was the other female then. "I mean, nobody else could before, y'know?" the dejected look that passed the green monkey's face was heartbreaking.

"Um, actually... I think can understand you?" the statement phrased as a question was out of his mouth before he knew it, trying to make sense of everything that was happening in this dream. "You didn't say anything wrong, I'm just..." he trailed off when both females snapped their attention back to him suddenly. Along with them, he could feel the eyes of the other two turn to him as well; Chiro shrunk down slightly, unsure about being the center of all the attention. Now here he was wondering if _he_ had said something wrong instead.

The shocked silence lasted for only a second before Otta broke it. "He _can_ understand us!" the green monkey moved in on him then, her hands grabbing one of his and quickly shaking it as if in greeting. "Hi there human! I'm Otta! Welcome to the Super Robot! Oh boy, this is the first time I've been able to talk with a human! I mean I can't believe you can understand what I'm saying!" she spouted off, looking for all the world like she had just been given the greatest thing in the universe.

A slight blush reddened the boy's cheeks, his eyes turning away from the green monkey to stare shyly at the floor. "It's nice to meet you too, Otta." in spite of all the confusion and the strangeness of the event, her smile was contagious and Chiro felt a smile growing on his own face. This Otta was right, she wasn't that scary. In fact, she didn't seem scary at all. None of these robotic monkeys were scary, and they didn't seem to want to hurt him like he originally thought. And this was a dream right? Might as well go along with it. "Yeah, I don't really understand all of this either. But um, was it you guys who brought me in here? Where am I anyway?" he asked.

The blue monkey then cleared his throat quite loudly. When it didn't seem to get the desired affect, he cleared his throat another time, sending a glare in Otta's direction. Otta blinked, her hands stilling in their rapid greeting. She glanced over at the blue monkey in confusion, who shot her another annoyed glare, then with a sheepish smile she released Chiro's hand and stood up. She backed away, muttering a soft 'sorry' while her tail came up behind her to scratch her head. It had to be one of the cutest things Chiro had ever seen. "Yes, well," the blue monkey spoke for the first time, a slightly deeper masculine tone. So this one was a male then. "You are in our Sick Bay. We found you unconscious on floor in the Engine Room and wanted to make sure you weren't seriously injured." he explained in a matter-of-fact tone that reminded Chiro of some of his teachers.

"Oh," an intense feeling of shame overcame him, his eyes falling to his lap while his fingers picked at the hem of his sweater vest. Only moments ago he had thought the worst of these guys, when all they'd done was try to help him. "Um... thanks. I think I owe you guys an apology then. When I woke up and I was here... I thought that something bad was gonna happen to me." he hunched down, avoiding eye contact completely with any of these colorful monkeys. He was already feeling bad enough, he didn't want to see what their reactions would be.

An amused huff came from beside him, reminding him of how close the yellow monkey still was to him. "Don't worry about it." she said, brushing the apology aside as if it weren't necessary at all. "I think anyone who passes out in one strange room and wakes up in another has a right to be worried. This one is on us, we shouldn't have left you alone in here." her face suddenly fell, the small smirk on her muzzle vanishing into a look of concern. "But are you alright? We heard you shout..." her big, bright pink eyes glanced over him, searching for the reason why he had cried out he realized. For a moment, the obvious concern had him frozen in place, his eyes staring at her. Even if this was a dream, how long had it been since someone had shown concern over _him_?

A metal hand suddenly waved in front of his face, snapping him out of his stupor. "Um... you okay?" the yellow female asked cautiously. "You were kinda staring." the blush reappeared, and he returned his gaze back to lap. He didn't feel like elaborating on why he was staring, it wasn't that important anyway.

"I'm okay." Chiro replied, nodding his head and offering her a small smile that lasted only a second. He then turned his attention to his right foot, which was still aching. "When I woke up, I panicked and tried to leave..." he trailed off, unsure of whether he should say exactly what happened. Where he had come from, if you got hurt or sick you just didn't say anything. Chiro could recall several instances in which he had been hurt or was slowly growing sick; he asked for help once before, admitted he was ill to someone, and that was the first and last time. No, he'd learned the hard way that in the end it was always better to just grin and bear it.

Those memories had him raising his guard instinctively, his mind coming up with a ready excuse and painting a convincing smile over his lips like it was second nature. Figments of his imagination or not he'd already caused them enough trouble, no need to be the cause of anymore. "I'm fine now though, really." he said, already trying to push himself off the floor. "I-I'm okay, I just gotta- _**AH**_!" he had managed to push himself to his knees, but when he grabbed the table to pull himself up he jarred his ankle the wrong way. The room spun around him, the pain was blinding, but he managed to hold onto the table this time and keep himself somewhat upright. Dear Shuggazoom, it hurt so bad.

That familiar sensation of warm metal hands appeared under his arms, gently lifting him up. Higher and higher until his feet were hovering just inches above the floor. He blinked wide eyes down at his floating feet, then snapped them up to what hovered above him. It was the black monkey, the one that had hovered in the background, and he was _floating in the air_. Chiro's mind went utterly blank, the sight and experience silencing both thought and voice. Carefully the floating monkey placed him back on the table, being exceedingly careful of his injured foot, then floated back down to the floor. "You seem to have injured your foot," a deep, calming voice washed over the silence, the vaguest traces of authority that could only belong to someone who had been in a position of power ringing in Chiro's ears. Offhandedly, Chiro noted the way the other three had turned their eyes to this one, the way others looked to a leader. This monkey must be their leader.

The black monkey met Chiro's surprised stare for a few moments, his face passive and seemingly utterly void of emotion, then broke away and moved to leave the room of the Sick Bay. "Gibson will tend to your injury." he added, looking over his shoulder back to the shell-shocked boy on the table. "When you feel up to it, please join us in the Central Command Room. I'm sure you have questions you would like answered, and I believe you can answer ours in turn." he turned his attention to Otta and the yellow monkey, gesturing with his chin for them to follow. "Nova, Otta, with me." the two in question nodded and quickly joined him, Otta turning around to wave goodbye while the yellow one - Nova he assumed - flashed him a thumbs up before the metal door shut.

Chiro continued to stare at the door long after the three had left, his brain trying to catch up with what had happened. That black monkey had lifted him up into the air and put him back on the table. He'd been floating in midair, and his foot was still hurting far too much for this to be a dream. ' _This... isn't a dream, is it?_ _This isn't a dream, this is real. These monkeys are... real._ ' there was a gentle tapping on his shoulder; his eyes alone traveled to where the remaining monkey - Gibson he'd been called - stood beside the table. "You were staring off into empty space again. You've been slipping into bouts of this since you regained consciousness." the monkey tilted his head, then turned away to pull down a screen on a mechanical arm. "Perhaps I should perform an exam on your cranium just to be safe." the formerly offline screen lit up, showing diagrams of human anatomy and statistics Chiro probably wouldn't be able to decipher in two lifetimes.

...Chiro wondered if he had just gone crazy.

 **[=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=]**

"He could _understand_ us!" Otta's voice practically vibrated with amazement as she skipped beside her teammates to the center of the Command Center. There was an air of excitement clinging to her and a sparkle in her eyes that hadn't been seen for quite a while. "He could understand what we were saying! No human's ever been able to do that before! Actually I don't think _anyone ever_ has been able to talk to us!" for the green mechanic to be able to talk with and befriend others outside of the team was an unobtainable dream. The language barrier had kept the friendly monkey from connecting with others. She had once thought of building a translator, but the idea had been shot down harshly by Mandarin the moment he caught wind of it.

Otta's elation was enough to bring a small smile to Nova's face, but it soon fell into a more serious expression. "Well, at least we have conformation that the Power Primate did something to him." she said, her attention turning back to the doorway they'd just exited. "The kid seemed kinda spooked by us. He was so scared I could actually smell the fear before we even went through that door." she glanced back at Antauri, bubblegum pinks curious. "What do you think, Antauri? You can sense more than we can."

Antauri remained silent, glancing backing at the door to the Sick Bay himself before his eyes closed thoughtfully behind the optical lenses. "You are right, Nova," he sighed. "He is understandably frightened by these new experiences, though he seems to have calmed down since discovering we mean him no harm." however, he found that this first meeting had given him more reservations than he would like. The child had injured himself, a relatively minor injury true but nonetheless a debilitating one. However, instead of asking for help he had tried to mislead them about it and pretend it didn't exist. Isolated the incident probably didn't mean much - they were strangers and he wasn't sure he could trust them. But there was an inkling nagging in the back of Antauri's mind that whispered this wasn't something to be ignored.

Resolutely, he made the silent promise to keep an eye on the situation. Both for the child's sake and his team's.

In the meantime, they had other things to concern themselves with. The great evil was already on its way without question, and they had to get everything in the Robot in working order before it arrived. "Otta," the monkey in question snapped to attention. "Look over the Command Console and see what needs to be repaired." his response was a salute before Otta bounced to the Console. In seconds she had the Command Console's main panel off and was buried deep in the wires and relays. Watching her, Antauri felt a knot of tension appear in his chest; this... wasn't what his purpose was.

Alongside Mandarin, he had trained with the Verron Mystics to learn the ways of the Power Primate, but while they learned the same things their paths diverged quite drastically. Mandarin had never been satisfied, always wanting to push his limits, to learn more and do more while Antauri had been content to lose himself in his meditation and studies. Combat was another thing in which they differed; while Antauri preferred more peaceful conclusions to conflict, Mandarin had thrived in the heat of it all. He was stronger, faster, and fiercer, able to think up strategies for victory and take the lead when things got dicey. When their training years was over, Antauri had been more than happy to defer to Mandarin's dominance while he comfortably fell into the position of advisor.

Now, with Mandarin gone, leadership automatically had fallen to him. The others looked to him for leadership now, not just advice. The responsibilities that Mandarin had abandoned rested heavily on his shoulders, and while he would bear them for as long as needed this was not his role. The prophecy of the Chosen One's arrival had brought some relief, but Antauri knew he couldn't possibly ask a child to shoulder these burdens. One day perhaps, if he chose to walk the path destiny had chosen for him, but not now. "Nova," he pushed his reservations and thoughts down before he addressed his other sister. "Please go and let Sprx know the child is awake. If he wishes not to join us, he may remain in his room."

Eventually, the team's pilot would have to come out and face the reality of the situation. Perhaps Nova would manage to at least make him calm down, if she decided to confront him as she'd wanted to earlier. Sprx always seemed to respond to her presence better than anyone else. The team's yellow combat expert vanished up her own transport tube moments later, mumbling something about how that 'idiot better get his crap together' and Antauri was left alone with his thoughts. He glanced back at the Sick Bay one last time, considering his options.

Though he hadn't known what to expect, he had been pretty sure about how this part would go. Any questions the Chosen One had would be answered fully and truthfully. Everything would be laid out for them, no secrets kept so they could make an informed decision and know what they were getting into. But that was before the factor of a human child - an extremely _nervous_ and _young_ human child - was dropped on the team. There were things that he'd have to be told, yes, but... Antauri wasn't sure how the human would act to having the entirety of it dumped on him so soon. Plus there was the fact that this boy most likely would decide to leave the team after this night. If that were the case, he wouldn't need to know everything.

Walking over to his chair in the Command Center, he made himself comfortable and settled into a deep meditative state. He would have to give deep thought to this matter...

 **[=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=]**

' _Well, at least its all still in one piece._ ' was Sprx's first thought when the door to his quarters open, revealing the dark and dusty expanse frozen in time. After two centuries, it was almost eerie at how everything was exactly has he left it. His recharge pod was over in the corner, several cans of polish and polishing rags were thrown haphazardly upon the floor, and ten models of famous aircraft from across the galaxy were suspended from a ceiling painted to look like the Shuggazoom sky. A mesh net hammock with a couple cushions was placed high in the opposite corner of the recharge pod hung forgotten and unused, his favorite place to retreat to when he'd had to get away for a while.

Sprx fell into the old habit without even having to think of it, leaping into the hammock and settling himself into a reclined position to look at the painted sky. His tail slunk from underneath him, left to hang limply off the side. It was dustier than he remembered, and would need a good cleaning just like everything else, but the security it gave him hadn't changed at all. Here, he could imagine flying out into the open sky, away from all this: the team, the City, the monsters, everything. Granted, he was pretty sure he'd never leave for real, but sometimes he liked to think about what would happen if he did. From the first moment he got into a cockpit and pulled up on the yoke he'd been hooked. The freedom of leaving the ground, the sensation of defying gravity, there was nothing like it in the universe.

But there would always be a major part of him that needed the team, and the team needed him too. All were parts of a whole, as Antauri had put it once, and before Mandarin had decided to try and skewer them all on his energy blade Sprx had believed it too. The anger and hatred surged back up as if called forth by the very thought of his former leader; just thinking of the traitor's name nowadays made him feel sick. Of the suffering that he'd brought to the team he'd led, that he'd claimed to care for and love, what he'd tried to do to the City they had sworn to protected. For what he'd done there could be no forgiveness, least of all from Sprx.

The crimson monkey turned onto his side; the sudden movement brought up a small cloud of dust from the cushions that irritated Sprx's nose and throat. He had to push himself upright to escape it, hacking on the little that had managed to float into his mouth. Oh, yeah, he'd definitely have to clean this place up. And himself by the looks of it. Maybe laying on dust covered cushions wasn't the best idea.

But that could wait, he relented as he settled himself back down on his stomach. One hand reached out from the hammock, gently brushing a small dust bunny off of one of his prized model's wings. This particular model depicted one of the more ancient starships, probably long forgotten by now but forever remembered in his little corner of the Robot. All the members of the team had their hobbies, collecting and building these models had been Sprx's. Mandarin had given him no end of grief for it, even long before he'd started showing signs of his changing morals, but it made Sprx happy. Bitterly his mind wandered back to the 'Chosen One' laying the Sick Bay. He wondered what he'd have to say about this...

The comfortable silence he'd enveloped himself in was eventually broken by firm knocks sounded off from his door, bringing with them a flash of annoyance. He thought he'd made it clear he wanted to be alone. "Do you mind? I'm trying to take a nap here!" he called out, quickly turning towards the wall and flopping on his side. A larger cloud of dust popped out of the cushions from the movement; Sprx had to quickly sit up when he was was sent into a hacking fit. This was how Nova found him when she keyed in the override for the lock and stepped inside.

" _Ack_ \- Hey!" Sprx tried to shout, but it came out as more of a choking sound. "I said - _gag_!- I'm trying to take - _cough_!- a nap!" Nova's unimpressed look seemed to burn into him. Antauri had only told her to tell Sprx that the human in the Sick Bay was awake, not enter his room. He probably thought Sprx needed a little more time. But time wasn't what they had now was it?

"I can see that," she said in a tone as unimpressed as her look was. "I just came to tell you the kid's awake. You can come down and meet him yourself, or you can stay up here and keep hiding." she turned around to walk out, but didn't get far.

"Hiding?!" came Sprx's incredulous sounding reply. Getting his hacking under control, he leaped down from his hammock to face Nova. "I'm not up here hiding, I'm up here because no one will listen to me when it seems I'm the only one who actually has my head on straight about this situation!" he was aware there was a growl in his voice, something he never usually did, but at this point he was too upset and angry to care.

Nova's expression changed, her eyes narrowing when she locked them with her red counterpart's. "No one is jumping off the walls about this Sprx," well, maybe Otta, but that was for an entirely different reason than this conversation was about. "And yes, you are up here hiding away. None of us knew what the Chosen One one would look like or be like, not even Antauri, but its safe to say we were all expecting an adult. Someone who looked the part of a hero and knew what to do in a crisis. We didn't get that and now your disappointed, your scared and hiding away from it all instead of facing it." her gaze softened then, a deep sigh escaping her nose as she forced herself to calm down.

"The fact is we _did_ have someone who was all of what we wanted, and he ended up betraying us." a vicious growl rumbled from Sprx's throat; it was quickly silenced with a glare from the yellow female. "And you're not the only one here who's scared Sprx. I'm scared too, even if I'm not showing it. We're all scared. We know something worse than we've ever faced on the horizon and we're not sure if we'll be able to take it." she broke eye contact then, glancing down at the floor. The image of that little boy down in Sick Bay, curled up on the floor whimpering in fear and pain, was still visible in her mind's eye. He wasn't a warrior, or a leader by any means. Just a scared little boy who'd gotten way in over his head.

"That human child down there was scared out of his wits too, when he woke up." Nova added, her voice soft while she locked eyes with Sprx again. "He tried to run and hide, and ended up hurting himself." that got another reaction from the angry monkey; Nova had to suppress a smirk when she caught the flash of curious concern in Sprx's optics, gone as quick as it had come. "Gibson's taking care of him now. And we got to talk to him a little; turns out he can understand us perfectly." she actually did smirk this time, the look of surprise on Sprx's face was priceless. "I'm sure he has no idea of what's really going on, or of what he's done. All he knows is that he's in a strange place with strange creatures he's never seen before. He doesn't need your hostility on top of it." that seemed to have struck a nerve in Sprx; he flinched, hardly noticeable but there, and seemed to deflate in front of her.

For several long moments there was a tense silence, then Sprx sighed. "I still don't like this and think that kid should be as far away as possible from this... and us," his tone was resolute, but it was no longer hard. "I'll come down and say hi, but that's it. With any luck that kid will be out of here first chance he's given." Nova figured that was the best she was gonna get right now; she'd take it for now.

A small smile crossed her muzzle, and she reached out to place her hand on Sprx's shoulder. "Come on," she said, gesturing with her head. "Let's go join the others. Gibson should be finished with our new little friend soon, and Antauri wants to clue him in to what's going on. You can say 'hi' then." she got a few mumbles as a response but chose to ignore them in favor of leading the pilot out of his dusty room. She made a mental promise to help him clean it up later; chances are he'd just be concerned with cleaning those models of his. One rule of the Super Robot was that no one touched Sprx's model starships; the last time Otta had snatched one had ended with the green monkey magnetized to the top of the Super Robot's antenna.

As the walked down the hallway to the transport tubes, a sudden ring sounded from their audios. "Monkey Team," Antauri's voice rang out, quiet and serious on all of their personal channels. "I need you all to listen carefully..."

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 **STORY BROADCAST INTERRUPTED.**

 **TO BE CONTINUED IN SCENE THREE.**

 **STAY TUNED.**

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 **AUTHOR'S NOTES :**

 _WOOOO_! Second chapter up, yes! =D And we got the first meeting out of the way; poor Chiro though, but if I woke up and was suddenly surrounded by a bunch of colorful talking monkeys I would think I was in a dream too, wouldn't you? The next few chapters are where its gonna get really fun; I shall be introducing (or for those who have read the previous version, re-introducing) the Headmistress. Now who is the Headmistress exactly? I can't give too much away, especially for those who are reading this story for the first time, but she will be the first antagonist the team will face since their awakening. She has no super villain powers, and will not truly be a threat (at least not anymore), but she will be a definite annoyance and obstacle that the Team will discover they'll have to deal with.

The next few chapters will be pretty much like this one, where the Team and Chiro are pretty awkward and unsure about each other. Mystical power or not, after what Chiro has been through (which you will find out over the course of this Arc and the next) and what the Team has been through with Mandarin, they're not gonna mesh together right away. The chapters afterward will show the merging process; its not gonna be pretty or easy. Our favorite Team has a lot of healing to do, and their new young charge even more so. There will be misunderstandings, heartbreak, and uncertain times, but this is how the Team will grow stronger and become the Team we saw on the TV show. I hope you enjoy my depiction of the journey they'll go on to become the legendary Team we all know and love. x3

The next chapter (or scenes as I'm gonna start calling them) will be up later on tomorrow or the day after, where questions will be asked and answers given from both sides. Sadly, there were no reviews this time around, so the Shout-Out Central area will be fairly bare. But we did have someone put the story on their Alerts! ^o^ Another thing I should mention - while I have some proofreaders, I'm gonna be making some adjustments to the current published chapters every now and then. Adding scenes, taking them away to put them elsewhere later on, shorting paragraphs, lengthening them, and so on until I'm satisfied. What happens is I'll reread a chapter and see how I can make it better, and I'll go and do that. So some advice I have is that with each update you should reread the chapters you've read before - there might be something new there. x3

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 **REFERENCE CORNER :**

SPRX'S MODEL STARSHIPS \- First off this is never stated in canon or even implied, but I think it fits for Sprx's character. Back under the days of Mandarin, I don't think the Team had the chance to relax a lot, and I can't see Mandarin allowing video games in the Robot can you? So a good outlet for Sprx could be models of legendary or famous starships and rockets. Seems like the kind of hobby a pilot would have. xD

CHIRO'S REACTION IN THE SICK BAY \- This one I can't really get into this one without giving much of the surprises in the plot away. But, I will explain where I got the idea. In the episode, 'Night of Fear', Chiro's greatest fear is revealed to be that he's afraid of being powerless and unable to help his Team. He's transformed into a little boy with no powers in what looks like a uniform of some sort. I'm gonna try and expand on this little tidbit and see what I can come up with. Plus, what eleven year old _wouldn't_ be frightened of waking up in a place that he knows he wasn't in before?

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 **SHOUT-OUT CENTRAL :**

Thank you, michiforever900304, for adding this story to your Alerts! If I remember correctly you once had my story on your Alerts before, but took it off at some point when I didn't update after a while. Hopefully these chapters and revised prologue was worth the wait. And I hope you stay on for what else to come. =3

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 **COMMUNICATION WITH AUTHOR OFFLINE.**

 **SEE YOU NEXT TIME!**


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